Marvin Gaye (born Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr., April 2, 1939 - April 1, 1984) was an American soul and R&B singer and songwriter. He was a famous artist recording on the Motown label in the 1960s and 1970s. He became an independent artist when he released his 1971 album, What's Going On. After living in Europe in the late 1970s, Gaye had a comeback hit with 1982's "Sexual Healing". The record won him two Grammy Awards and became his biggest hit. He was killed on April 1, 1984 by his own father, Marvin Gay, Sr.. After his death, he was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Biography
Early life and career
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. was the eldest son of a Pentecostal minister and the second of four children. His family lived in a mostly African-American community in Washington, D.C. When he was a child, Gaye was abused by his father. He used music to help him cope with the abuse, playing instruments and singing gospel music in his father's church. When he was a teenager, Gaye became a fan of doo-wop and joined several groups before he left high school at the start of his senior year.
In 1956, when he was seventeen years old, Gaye left home and enlisted in (joined) in the United States Air Force. He was honorably discharged the following year. Gaye moved back to Washington D.C. and formed a group called The Marquees. The group was discovered by musician Bo Diddley and they recorded the songs "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" and "Wyatt Earp". They then met Harvey Fuqua and joined with his group The Moonglows. They released a song called "Mama Loocie" in 1959. This was the first song recorded with Gaye singing as lead vocalist. The following year, the new Moonglows split up and with Fuqua as his mentor, Gaye traveled to Detroit, Michigan where they met Berry Gordy, who had formed Motown Records. Gordy was impressed by Marvin's talent as a piano player and drummer and signed him as a session drummer for Motown. Gaye played drums on most of Motown's early hits for artists like The Marvelettes, Mary Wells, the Miracles and Stevie Wonder. In 1961, Gordy signed Gaye as a recording artist and released The Soulful Moods of Marvin Gaye. The album did not sell well.
Early stardom
Gaye's first became successful when he co-wrote the Marvelettes' top twenty hit, "Beechwood 4-5789". In 1962 he released his own song called "Stubborn Kind of Fellow". It was partly about his own life and got into the top fifty of the pop chart and number eight on the R&B side. His first top 40 single, "Hitch Hike", and his first top ten hit, "Pride & Joy", made him a teen idol. These early singles and those on his second release, That Stubborn Kind of Fellow, featured Martha and the Vandellas in the backGaye had more successful songs like early success continued with "Can I Get a Witness", "Baby Don't You Do It", "You Are a Wonderful One" and "Try It Baby". In late 1964, Gaye recorded "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)", which peaked at the top ten of the American pop charts and became one of his first hits abroad reaching the top fifty in the United Kingdom. Gaye also worked with his friend, singer Smokey Robinson to write number-one singles, "I'll Be Doggone" and "Ain't That Peculiar".